Mayor Bert Steinmann and the Ewing Township Redevelopment Agency announced today that the Redevelopment Agency has designated Lennar Ewing, LLC, an affiliate of Lennar Corporation, as the redeveloper of the former General Motors site on Parkway Avenue. The Redevelopment Agency also approved an agreement with Lennar, pursuant to which Lennar will redevelop this site with 1,000 new residential units, 115,000 square feet of retail space and a community green which, together, will create a vibrant, inviting, pedestrian-friendly place for people to live, work and visit.

The project will lead to the creation of hundreds of jobs, many of which will be union jobs. The project will also make additional housing available for low and moderate income families in Ewing and will add millions of dollars a year in new revenues for the Township. Mayor Steinmann stated: “I am thrilled that this project will help our union friends, who have struggled so much over the last few years. I am also happy that this project will lead to the creation of affordable housing at a time when the State has failed to give municipalities clear direction on this issue. I am also delighted that we can finally make good, productive use of this property, which has been vacant and contaminated for so many years. In addition to those important benefits, this project will also serve as a catalyst for the development of the former Naval Air Warfare Center across Parkway Avenue.”

The property was formerly owned by General Motors Corporation and, for decades, was the site of a facility that manufactured automotive parts and airplanes. General Motors ceased operations in 1998 and demolished all the buildings on the property in the 2000-01; it has remained vacant since that time. It is now owned by the federally-created RACER Trust, an environmental response trust. RACER has been working to clean up the contaminated site and position it for redevelopment. The Township adopted a redevelopment plan for this site, which envisions a walk-able, mixed-use community with open space for residents and other visitors to gather – a Destination. Together, the Redevelopment Agency and RACER solicited proposals from the development community, carefully reviewed those proposals and met with prospective redevelopers.

The proposal from Lennar meets the Township’s goals and objectives. Lennar, one of the nation’s leading homebuilding and development companies, has developed numerous projects throughout New Jersey, including in Weehawken, Burlington Township and Morris Plains. Lennar is perfectly positioned to undertake this project and help the Township realize its vision for this site.

“After many years of inaction and stagnation,” said Mayor Steinmann, “the adoption of a redevelopment plan for this area and the selection of Lennar to redevelop it are enormous steps forward. We look forward to breaking ground and moving this game-changing project closer to fruition. Let there be no doubt – this site will be the vibrant Town-Center that the Township residents want and that I know it can be”. Ewing Township Redevelopment Agency Chairman Robert Kull added: “Over the past year we have worked cooperatively with the Township and the RACER Trust, and completed a competitive process to identify prospective redevelopers for this site. The Redevelopment Agency is pleased to select Lennar, a highly-accomplished, financially capable and nationally-renowned developer of mixed-use projects like the one envisioned in the redevelopment plan, to make our dream a reality.”